Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2225-8329

Retrenchment Strategy and Firm Performance: Evidence from Malaysian Construction Companies

Ameer Eizzuan Abdul Jamal, Mohd Shamlie Salisi

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARAFMS/v11-i1/8001

Open access

With the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate of 4.7% form the 4th Quarter of 2018 which shows an uprising trend in the Malaysian economy, it is no exception for managers to implement a strategy due to the order from the higher authorities which us to conduct a retrenchment strategy. This order falls toward specific sectors such as manufacturing, financial services and construction sector which is to be done to increase firm performance. With the construction sector that is more likely to be listed in PN17 (Amir Hisyam,2018) it gives more attention for the researcher to focus more on the sector with it being the second highest rate of loss of employment in Malaysia. Hence this research aims to investigate the relationship between retrenchment strategy and firm performance for a sample of 49 listed construction companies in Malaysia which is to be chosen if the firms has the following criteria that needed by this study over the period of 2008 – 2018. Afterwards this study will investigate the effects of the firm performance towards potential investor’s decision as the contributing component of this study is implementing Return on Equity as well as Tobin’s Q in the dependent variable. By using regression model in STATA software alongside with multiple tests to examine the data of the firms, the study hopes to find acceptable results to determine the relationship among the variables. Later in the study the results show that the main variable which is retrenchment has no significant influence towards any of the firm performance. The study will contribute to Malaysia construction firms, investors and managers by showing how in the current state of the country does practicing retrenchment strategy affects the firm performance.

Al-Matari, E. M., Al-Swidi, A. K., & Fadzil, F. H. B. (2014). The Measurements of Firm
Performance’s Dimensions. Asian Journal of Finance & Accounting, 6(1), 24.
Anastasia. (2015) https://www.cleverism.com/effective-corporate-turnaround-strategies/
Barker, V., & Mone , M. (1994). Retrenchment: Cause of turnaround or consequence of
decline? Strategic Management Journal, 15: 395–405.
Baron, J. N., & Kreps, D. M. (1999). Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General
Management. New York: Wiley
Bozec, R., Dia, M., & Bozec, Y. (2010). Governance – performance relationship: A Re-
examination Using Technical Efficiency Measures. British Journal of Management, 21,
684–700.
Budros, A. (1999). A conceptual framework for analyzing why organizations downsizing. Organization Sciences, 10(1), 69–82
Bititci, U., Carrie, A., & McDevitt, L. (1997). Integrated performance measurement systems:
A development guide. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 17(5), 522–534
Castrogiovanni, G., & Bruton, G. (2000). Business turnaround processes following
acquisitions: reconsidering the role of retrenchment. Journal of Business Research, 48, 25–34.
David, F. (2013). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts and
cases. Harlow,England: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Demirbag, M., Tatoglu, E., Tekinus, M., & Zaim, S. (2006). An analysis of the relationship
between TQM implementation and organizational performance: evidence from Turkish SMEs. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 17(6), 829 847.
Denis, D., Denis, D., & Yost, K. (2002). Global diversification, industrial diversification, and
firm value. Journal of Finance, 57(5), 1951–1979
DeWitt, R. (1998). Firm, industry, and strategy influences on choice of downsizing approach.
Strategic Management Journal, 19(1): 59–79.
Dodge, H., Fullerton, S., & Robbins, J. (1994). Stage of the organizational life cycle and
competition as mediators of problem perception in small businesses. Strategic Management Journal, 15(2), 121- 134.
Ellis, J., (1998). The downside of downsizing, Boston Globe. p. 11:A15.
Elvin, P., & Abdul Hamid, N. I. N. (2015). Ownership Structure, Corporate Governance and
Firm Performance. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 23(6), 469–471.
Fisher, G., Lee, J., & Johns, L. (2004). An Exploratory Study of Company Turnaround in
Australia and Singapore Following the Asia Crisis. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 21(1-2), 149–170.
Ganguli, S. K., & Agrawal, S. (2009). Ownership structure and firm performance: An empirical
study on listed Mid-Cap Indian Companies.
Hambrick, D., & D’Aveni, R. (1988). Large corporate failures as downward spirals.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(1), 1–23.
Haniffa, R., & Hudaib, M. (2006). Corporate governance structure and performance of
Malaysian listed companies. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 33(7-8), 1034-1062.
Hillier, D., Marshall, A., McColgan, P., & Werema, S. (2007). Employee layoffs, shareholder
wealth and firm performance: Evidence from the UK. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 34(3–4), 467–494.
Hutchinson, M., & Gull, F. (2004). Investment opportunity set, corporate governance
practices, and firm performance. Journal of Corporate Finance, 10(1), 595-614.
Ibrahim, Haslindar, & AbdulSamad, F. A. (2011). Corporate governance mechanisms And
performance of public-listed family-ownership in Malaysia. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 3(1), 105–115.
Imran, M. (2014). Impact of Capital Structure on Firm Performance: Evidence from Pakistani
Firms. (September).
Joh, S. W. (2003). Corporate governance and firm profitability evidence from Korea before the
economic crisis. Journal of Financial Economics, 68(2), 287–322.
Koufopoulos, D., Zoumbos, V., Argyropoulou, M., & Motwani, J. (2008). Top management
team and corporate performance: a study of Greek firms. Team Performance Management, 14(8), 340–363.
Kapopoulos, P., & Lazaretou, S. (2007). Corporate ownership structure and firm performance:
evidence from Greek firms. Corporate Governance, 15(2), 144–159.
Kapopoulos, P., & Lazaretou, S. (2009). Does Corporate Ownership Structure Matter for
Economic Growth ? A Cross- Country Analysis. Managerial and Decision Economic, 30, 155–172.
Klapper, L., & Love, I. (2002). Corporate governance, investor protection, and performance in
emerging markets. Washington, DC. United States: World Bank. Mimeographed document.
Khanna, T., & Palepu, K. (2000). Is group affiliation profitable in emerging markets? An analysis of
diversified Indian business groups. Journal of Finance, 55(2), 867–891.
Kwamboka, N. E., & Nassiuma, B. K. (2017). Employee Downsizing Strategies and Firm Performance:
Evidence From the Kenyan Context Employee Downsizing Strategies and Firm Performance: Evidence From the Kenyan Context. Journal of Human Resource and Leadership, 2(7), 58–68.
Lebas, M. (1995). Performance measurement and performance management, International Journal of Production Economics, 41(1–3), 23–35.
Lee, K., Hooy, C., & Hooy, G. (2012). The Value impact of international and industrial diversifications
on publisted-listed firms in Malaysia. Emerging Markets Review, 13(3),366-380.
Lim, D., Celly, N., Morse, E., & Rowe, W. (2013). Rethinking the effectiveness of asset and cost
retrenchment: The contingency effects of a firm's rent creation mechanism. Strategic Management Journal, 4(1), 42-61
Lins, K., & Servaes, H. (2002). Is Corporate Diversification Beneficial in Emerging Market? Financial
Management, 31(2), 5-31
Love, E., & Nohria, N. (2005). Reducing Slack: The Performance Consequences of Downsizing by
Large Industrial Firms, 1977–93. Strategic Management Journal, 26(12), 1087–110.
Madu, C., Aheto, J., Kuei, C., & Winokur, D. (1996). Adoption of strategic total quality management
philosophies Multi-criteria decision analysis model. International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management,13(3),57 – 72
Mashayekhi, B., & Bazazb, M. S. (2008). Corporate governance and firm performance in Iran, 4(2),
156–172.
McKee-Ryan , F. M., & Kinicki, A. J. (2002). Coping job loss: a life-facet perspective. International
Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 17, 1–29.
McKinley, W. (1995). Organizational downsizing: constraining, cloning, learning, The Academy of
Management Executive, 9(3), 32–44.
McKinley, W. (2001). A socio-cognitive interpretation of organizational Downsizing. Academy of
Management Review, 25(1), 227–243.
Miles, G., Snow, C., & Sharfman, M. (1993). Industry variety and performance. Strategic
Management Journal, 14(3), 163–177.
Mone, M. A. (1997). How we got along after the downsizing: post-downsizing trust as a double- edged
sword. Public Administration Quarterly, 21(3), 309–336.
Morrow, J., Johnson, R., & Busenitz, L. (2004). The effects of cost and asset retrenchment on firm
performance: the overlooked role of a firm’s competitive environment. Journal of Management, 30(2), 189-208
Nawaz, K., & Ahmad, N. (2017). The Effect of Corporate Governance and Capital Structure on Firms’
Performance: Investigation on Petroleum Sector in Pakistan. 1(15), 51–68.
Neely, A., Gregory, M., & Platts, K. (2005). Performance measurement system design: A literature
review and research agenda. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 25(12), 1128–1263.
Nuryanah, S., & Islam, S. M. N. (2011). Corporate governance and performance: Evidence from an
Emerging Market. Malaysian Accounting Review, 10(1), 17–42.
O’Neill, H. (1986). Turnaround and recovery: What strategy do you need? Long Range Planning, 19(1),
80–88
Pearce, J., & Robbins, K. (2008). Strategic transformation as the essential last step in the process of
business turnaround. Business Horizons, 51(2), 121–30.
Pham, T. T. K. (2016). Research on the Relationship between Corporate Governance and Firm
Performance: Empirical Evidence from Companies Listed on the Stock Exchange in Vietnam.
International Journal of Management and Applied Research, 3(4), 172–183
Robbins, D., & John, A. (1993). Entrepreneurial Retrenchment among Small Manufacturing firms.
Journal of Business Venturing, 8(4), 301-318.
Robbins, D., & Pearce, J. (1992). Turnaround: retrenchment and recovery. Strategic Management
Journal, 13(4): 287–309
Rouf, M. A. (2011). The relationship between corporate governance and value of the firm in developing countries: Evidence from Bangladesh. The International Journal of Applied Economics and Finance, 5(3), 237–244.
Schendel, D., Patton, G., & Riggs, J. (1976). Corporate turnaround strategies: A study of profit decline
and recovery. Journal of General Management, 3(spring): 3– 11.
Schmitt, A., & Raisch, S. (2013). Corporate Turnarounds and Recovery: The Duality of Retrenchment.
Journal of Management Studies, 50(7), 1216-1244
Scott, J. H. (2012). A theory of optimal capital structure. 7(1), 33–54.
Shan, Y. G., & McIver, R. P. (2011). Corporate governance mechanisms and financialperformance in
China: panel data evidence on listed non-financial companies. Asia Pacific Business Review, 17(3), 301–324.
Sharma, B., & Gadenne, D. (2002). An inter-industry comparison of quality management practices and performance. Managing Service Quality, 12(6), 394 – 404
Snow, C., & Hrebiniak, L. (1980). Strategy, distinctive competence, and organizational performance.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 25(2), 317-336
THUY, P. B. G., & DUC, V. H. (2017). Corporate Governance and Firm’s Performance: Empirical
Evidence from Vietnam. Journal of Economics Development, 218(April 2013), 62–77.
Tsai, C. F., Wu, S. L., Wang, H. K., & Huang, I. C. (2006). An empirical research on the institutional
theory of downsizing: Evidence from MNC’s subsidiary companies in Taiwan. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, 17(5), 633–654.
Ung, L., Brahmana, R., & Puah, C.-H. (2018). Firm Performance, Retrenchment Strategy and
Ownership Structure: Evidence from Public Listed Companies in Malaysia. Int. Journal of Business Science and Applied Management, 13(1), 1–17.
Vo, D. H., & Nguyen, T. M. (2014). The Impact of Corporate Governance on Firm Performance:
Empirical Study in Vietnam. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 6(6).
Vu, N. H., & Nguyen, T. (2017). Impacts of corporate governance on firm performance Empirical study
of listed Singaporean companies. (May).
Wahla, K.-U.-R., Shah, S. Z. A., & Hussain, Z. (2012). Impact of ownership structure on firm \
performance evidence from non-financial listed companies at Karachi Stock Exchange. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 84, 6–13.
Zeitun, R., Tian, G. (2007), Capital structure and corporate performance: evidence from Jordan,
Australasian Accounting Business and Finance Journal, 1: 40-53.

In-Text Citation: (Jamal & Salisi, 2021)
To Cite this Article: Jamal, A. E. A., & Salisi, M. S. (2021). Retrenchment Strategy and Firm Performance: Evidence from Malaysian Construction Companies. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting Finance and Management Sciences, 11(1), 120-138.